The Reinbo Express
by SoupTea
Summary: An all-expense paid trip aboard a luxury train with a five-star complimentary all-you-can-eat! Maxie and Archie plan an impromptu getaway, only to get much, much more than they didn't pay for. Spinoff of Rainbow Rocket University.
1. Day 1

"Archie, don't forget your ticket!"

"For the fiftieth time, I have it! Hurry up, Maxie, or the train will leave!"

The violet buggy, appropriately nicknamed "The Boysenberry," barrels into the crowded parking lot. It's a nice day outside to be camping for a spot. If it wasn't for Archie's Sharpedo-like reflexes, they would've misses that "Compact Vehicle" slot entirely.

Archie almost slams the trunk lid on to Maxie's fingers when they fight over their luggage. Then it's a race against time to the giant clockwork station in the distance.

_THAP! THAP! _Flip-flops smack against concrete, earning them stares from an exasperated public. Maxie yells at Archie, who shoots back an insult that ultimately spirals pointless bickering.

Only when they reach their terminal do the friends quiet down. The attendant's gaze lingers on their tickets for a bit longer than Maxie would've liked. Her eyes dart between the two of them.

"Yes?" Maxie didn't mean to be rude, but it comes out like that.

"Good luck, gentlemen." She tears the stub and returns their tickets. There's an odd look on her face, but Archie's already herding Maxie to the ramp before the latter can process what he saw.

"There's our train!" Archie points to the white plume of smoke. The locomotive is indeed impressive: a shiny black hunk with red lining and silver flakes. The emblem sits below the smokebox: an "R" in the inverted colors of the rainbow.

_Heh, it's too early to start thinking about school right now._

"Maxie, stop lollygagging and hurry up!"

_Is this all the people? _Maxie looks around as he trudges his luggage up the ramp. _Huh. I suppose Archie and I _were _the last to board! Amazing that the train stayed as long as it did. _

Once they're within the lavishly-decorated hallways, the attendant shows them to their rooms.

"Holy Kyogre! Maxie, check out these sweet bunk beds! Call the bottom!" Archie claims his spot before Maxie can protest. The burly man throws himself on the bed, sandals, bandanna, luggage and all. Maxie shudders as a clump of dirt flecks from Archie's shoe to the spotless bedding below.

The room itself is quite spacious. Unlike anything Maxie had ever seen before. Sofas, tables, a walk-in closet… even their own restroom! With working hot water! And the carpet matches the wallpaper for once!

Then the speakers blare to life. **"ALL ABOARD!" **The hum of a whistle reverberates throughout the cabins. **"WELCOME TO THE DELUXE REINBO EXPRESS, BOUND FOR THE LUXURIOUS GILDED HEIGHTS! WE WILL BE DEPARTING SHORTLY. PLEASE HAVE YOUR TICKETS READY!"**

The engines rumble to life. Archie jumps off the bed, running to the windows where he presses his face against the glass and screw it, Maxie does the same. The train station is sliding backwards before their very eyes. The platform teeming with people begin to slowly fade, fade away.

Maxie happens to catch the gaze of the attendant from earlier. There's no doubt in the world that she's staring directly at him. It's… disturbing, for lack of a better word.

"Maxie, we're leaving the station!"

The tunnel engulfs the train in shadow. Crystals on the chandelier swing as giant wheels chug along. Maxie removes his glasses to avoid the onslaught of light that greets them when the train emerges to the cloudless blue skies.

* * *

Archie is about to shoot out the door when Maxie calls him back.

"But I'm hungry," Archie groans. "Complimentary food, Maxie! All-you-can-eat! Gotta take advantage of that!"

Maxie clicks his teeth. "I hate it when you're right, but listen. We need to come up with a plan of action before anything else."

Archie sighs loudly. "Maxie. We are on _vacation. _We are going to have _fun." _He puts heavy emphasis on those words. "I didn't bring a dictionary, but just remember the three R's: Rest, Relaxation, and Rainbow Rocket University can wait until we're back from our trip."

Nevertheless, Archie walks over to the sofa and takes a seat beside his best friend. Maxie spreads the tickets on the table. "Archie," he says. "Don't you find it strange that we're even here in the first place?"

"Hmm? Not really. Aside from that weird station attendant, we made it here in one piece! Look, and those tickets have our names, don't they?"

"That's exactly the issue." Maxie purses his lips. "Archie, this trip must've cost a fortune! And it does, according to my research! And what are the chances that someone randomly got our address—_address, _not PO Boxes!—to send these to us directly?"

Maxie unfolds the train-themed stationary that came along with the mail. Archie raises a heavy eyebrow as his friend reads it out loud for the twentieth time.

_To sirs Archie and Maxie,_

_ Enclosed is a pair of tickets for an all-expense paid trip to the luxurious Gilded Heights. We look forward to seeing you there._

"Not even a name," Maxie huffs, flipping the note around for the xth time. "Who is this _'we?' _I don't remember signing up for any travel packages?" He shoots a glare at Archie, who shakes his hands.

"Don't look at me, Maxie. I don't know anything about this either." Then he shrugs. "But we're here anyway. It's also a legitimate, long-running company. Look on the bright side! We'll have great stories to tell Shelly, Matt, Tabitha, and Courtney!"

"Y-Yes, that _is _an incentive…" _Everything's fine and dandy so far. Except for that creepy attendant and the dubious circumstances surrounding our being on this posh train in the first place. _"But don't you think that something's _off _around here?"

Archie crosses his arms. He glances around the room. At the rolling landscape outside the window.

"The only _off _around here is your fashion sense, nerd." Archie effortlessly blocks off Maxie's fist. The former laughs. "Enough of that. I think you're just hungry, Maxie. Come on. Let's go get lunch! Five-star menu!"

After some much needed coercion, Maxie finally decides to leave the room.

Even the hallway is needlessly lavish. Gold trimming? Chandeliers? Candelabras on the drawers? Carved fleur-de-lis on the walls? A sweet perfume is wafting from the freshly steamed-cleaned carpet. _What material is the matting made of? _Archie's stomping around the place, but he's not making a sound…

Maxie happens to glance into the small glass slot of the next room. Cabin 004. "Is there anyone in there?" he mutters to no one in particular.

Archie sneaks a peek. "They're probably walking around just like us. We'll meet them eventually, Maxie.

"But for now, let's look for that dining cart!"

* * *

Maxie's stomach gurgles before he detects the smell. Archie wipes his mouth, tugging his best friend's sleeve into the bustling dining cart of silken tablecloths and glistening china.

"What is that?" Maxie murmurs as he meanders across the crowd and aromas. "Are they eating _raw_ meat?"

"Excuse me. Pardon us. Sorry about that, ma'am," Archie is saying. Pointed looks flash to the direction of the two newcomers. Men with suits. Women with feathery boas and giant pearls. Children with purses and combed-over hair.

"We are soo out of place." Archie hisses, moving to button up his shirt. His khakis stick out sorely amongst the sea of slacks. "The lady there keeps glaring at me as if I'm about to steal her wig."

"There's no tables left," Maxie mutters. _Curses. I have no intention of standing to eat on a five-star establishment either._

A tall man in dark uniform approaches the two men. "Excuse me," he grunts in a sharp, brittle voice. "May I help you?"

Archie exchanges a glance with his friend. "We… We would like to eat, mister…" He squints into the name tag. "Conductor?"

Mister Conductor smiles. It's not a nice smile. "Of course. May I see your tickets, please?" He's not even trying to make eye contact. "It appears that all of our tables are occupied for the moment. Do you mind waiting a few minutes?"

_Everyone's taking their sweet time. _Maxie shifts away from the tall, imposing figure. Archie does the same.

"You can join us." Heads turn to the direction of that voice. Maxie catches Archie before he can raise a fist to the condescending prick behind them.

The woman pats the seats beside her. A fierce woman, with thick eyebrows and a fiery mane. Maxie catches the peculiar scent of perfume when he scoots closer. Some kind of flower…

"Here you are," says a man with curly hair and stubble. He's also wearing an unbuttoned shirt that he didn't bother to close. His soft eyes crinkle when Archie accepts the menu.

The young man beside him removes his cap, revealing a mess of hair the color of sparkling leaves. "The egg tarts are amazing!" Another dollop of ketchup is added to the food. He claps his hands, bracelets jiggling upon impact. "At least, I _think _this is egg tart… Hey, you two should order early. They take a while to make the food."

Something heavy presses upon Maxie's neck. A pair of eyes, sharp and blue. Eyes that pierce shields to peer into the soul. Their owner, an elderly man, tips his fedora in greeting. "Just because you two aren't flashing gold doesn't mean that you should be subjected to meager customer service," he grumbles.

The woman waves a dismissive hand. "Thinking about them will only ruin your appetite." She turns to the bewildered newcomers. "I'm Ariana," she says with a smile. "Who are you?"

"Maxie."

"And I'm Archie."

"Ooh, are you friends?" says the young man. "My name is Natural, but you can call me N. Yes, like the letter. Do you want to be my friends?"

"Bonjour, I am Sycamore." The man tucks his curly strand of hair behind his ear. It refuses to comply to the rules of gravity. "Augustine Sycamore. A pleasure to meet you!"

"And just call me Mister E," the old man grunts. He pats his smoking beef wellington. "Are you two going to order soon? I don't know what this is, but it tastes great. And doesn't cost a dime!'

"O-Oh. Yes." Maxie glances at Archie's menu. _"There's no rice!" _he mouths.

"Not even noodles," Archie adds under his breath.

Ariana cocks an eyebrow. "Oh?" she says, and the two men stiffen. "Oh, don't worry about it, hon. I love noodles myself… but this train doesn't know what that is, I'm afraid. Only dishes with more than six syllables in their names exist here."

The two friends eventually settle on something called a Beluga caviar. They advert their eyes when the dish settles on their table. They hesitate to even touch it.

"What a beautiful color!" Sycamore hums, his eyes glinting with curiosity. The dish, in Maxie's opinion, consists of a measly portion of transparent balls topped with yellow icing and a… leaf? "Hm, and the smell is divine! Eat it before it gets cold, Archie and Maxie!'

"Is that real gold?" N squeaks.

The old man reads the menu again. "Yes. Apparently, it is. Gold leaf, in fact."

Archie chuckles nervously. "Haha… that's… that's not _real _gold, right? Right…?"

Everyone's faces say otherwise. "We can't eat real gold!" Maxie hisses. "It's metal! We don't put metal in our bodies!" That earns him some stares, but he ignores it.

Ariana whips her fork to the seat behind them. "That indulgent couple is eating gold," she says. "And that fool over there. Aaand that one too. Right in the back." She chuckles softly. "You don't get this chance every day, hon, so just eat up."

Maxie looks at his friend. Archie silently hands him a spoon. _Not even chopsticks here, huh? _The two take a deep breath before scooping the caviar into their mouths.

"Well?" Ariana says after a tense silence.

_HOLY GROUDON WHAT IS THIS?! How do you even describe this?! _The transparent balls dissolve within contact to saliva. There's no need to swallow for the food to slide down his throat. As if friction is merely a theoretical concept. The lingering juices mellow on his tongue, leaving it just as confused as its owner.

Sycamore hands him the water. In a champagne cup. _HOLY GROUDON this is water?! It's so smooth? Did I even swallow it? What is this flavor? Wait, is there even _water_ in this thing?_

Their company watch as the two interact with the foods in a variety of interesting ways. N grins and joins in on the fun. Sycamore keeps them amused with tales of Pokemon he'd encountered on his recent journey. Ariana keeps her mysterious smile as she clinks her ring against the glass, her eyes glazing to somewhere in the distance. Mister E remains silent, but he's listening intently.

After lunch is finished, Maxie and Archie follow the group out the dining cart.

"So what brings you two gentlemen on to this excess express?" Ariana says once they've entered the hallway. Her face is angled to the setting sun while her gaze focuses on the men.

Maxie pulls his turtleneck upwards. "Archie and I are professors at Rainbow Rocket University." Her eye twitches. "We're currently on break when we received these two tickets via mail."

N's eyes widen. "Hey, so did I!" He reaches into his pocket. "This was also included with my complimentary ticket."

"Same here," Sycamore says.

Mister E glances at everyone's notes. "It seems that we've all been invited to the Reinbo Express by this mysterious sender. Or _senders?"_

"Do you happen to know if we're not the only ones?" Archie whispers.

Mister E glances behind his shoulder. A man with a felt top hat is complaining to an attendant about the color of the carpet. Then he's demanding a room change. The attendant's doing all he can to calm the agitated passenger.

"I don't think so," the old man finally says. "I thought this was a prank at first. But the sender(s) were confident that they invited the right person… they even found my address, and my house isn't exactly on the maps…"

"We think that the sender(s) is someone on this train," Sycamore adds. "But it's… _difficult_ to approach these…_ kind_ individuals. However, we can eliminate most people here based on the way that the note was written."

Archie looks at Maxie. "Oh no," the latter snaps. "No, no, no. We came here for the three R's, remember? That means: no meddling in strange business. We are _not _detectives!"

"But the mystery's right under our noses, just waiting to be solved!" Archie exclaims. "_The Faceless Sender! _Oooh, just thinking about that makes me want to wrestle a Sharpedo! Imagine the stories we can tell when we get back!"

"This could be dangerous, Archie! Untangle the seaweed from your brain! There's a _reason _why the sender(s) chose to remain anonymous! And I knew something wasn't right about this thing from the start. It's too risky to blindly lunge into uncharted waters! You know that!"

Ariana clears her throat. The two men then realize that this is not their house, and that there are people around them. "Maxie is right," she says. "Things are indeed… fishy."

N blinks. "What… do you mean by _fishy, _Ariana?"

The woman gives him a hard smile. Oh… nothing, Natural. I was just thinking out loud."

Shadows fall over the train. Tinny jazz music is playing from the speakers.

"So where are you two staying?" Mister E asks.

"Cabin 005," Archie replies.

Sycamore nods. "The caboose with the blue wallpapers. I'm in Cabin 010... two hallways down from yours."

"002!" N chirps.

"013," Mister E says.

Ariana puts a hand on her hip. "Cabin 021, all the way up front. I have the whole space to myself, so it can get a quite lonely…" She utters a low chuckle. "I admit that I'm… envious of you two."

_Huh? _Maxie points between himself and his best friend. "Us? Why?"

Ariana just smiles and leaves it at that. Sycamore shoves his fists into his pockets, his gaze fixated to the orange skies outside.

Then Archie speaks. "Do y'all want to grab dinner with us? It's dusk, after all."

The group shares a glance between themselves. Ariana offers a small, strained smile.

"Sorry, hon," she says. "I'd love to, but there's something that I need to take care of. Tomorrow for sure."

"I'll be busy as well," Sycamore says. "Apologies. However, I will be glad to join you all for lunch!"

N flashes a toothy grin. "Same here."

Mister E spreads his hands. "I do apologize, Archie and Maxie. You two are wonderful company, I assure you. But this simply isn't the best time."

Maxie pats his friend on the back. "That's all right," he tells the group. "Archie and I will explore around. I'll see all of you tomorrow then!"

"Goodbye!" Archie keeps waving until everyone leaves the caboose. Then it's just them. The two friends, as it had been since childhood.

"Let's get dinner, Maxie." He swings an arm over his buddy. "Let's go see if they have something less… rich."

"Great idea, Archie. We can also ask the other passengers if they know anything about the tickets." As the two men pass the compartments, Maxie happens to steal a glance into the glass pane.

Cabin 004 is still empty.

* * *

After a nauseating yet rewarding dinner of Croque Madame and sparkling water, Archie and Maxie amble back to their cabin. Speaking with passengers yielded no success, but they're not giving up yet; the attendants might know something. The investigation—or peace of mind, in Maxie's case-will pick up tomorrow.

Everyone is in their cabins at nighttime. Maxie passes by families, couples, single riders… He almost falls over when N yanks his door open to greet the men. Further down is Ariana's cabin, which she has her back to them. Sycamore is on his bed, his back hunched over his laptop, papers strewn all over his blankets. Mister E isn't in his room, but his stuff is still out in the open.

Bossa nova plays as hollow footsteps shuffle about the carpeted floor. Maxie greets the smiling attendants. The Conductor passes them without a second glance, much to Archie's disbelief.

"Ignore him." Maxie pulls his best friend back before he can hurt someone. "It's evening. We don't want to make a scene." Indeed, the moon is high in the sky. Golden light washes the hallway in a dreamy-sort of glow. As if they're wading through a foggy bog.

"Archie, did it get colder in here?" Maxie whispers out of the blue.

Archie stops. Maxie bumps into his friend. "Maxie," the former mutters. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone step in here." Here. Cabin 004._ The one right next to us. _

"Perhaps whoever was supposed to be in there missed the boarding," Maxie huffs. He repeats it to himself until it sounds possible instead of just plausible. "Just like us."

Archie's still staring into the small window. As if he saw something in the empty cabin.

"Archie?" Maxie grunts. _Please look at me. _"It's not like you to be so quiet."

Archie blinks. He's biting his lips… a habit Maxie hasn't seen in a while.

"Nah, it's cool, nerd." His friend utters a loud laugh. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

The two men return to Cabin 005. They shower, change their clothes, and brush their teeth together. Just the brushing teeth part is done together.

Stars sparkle in the sky as Maxie tucks his Numel to bed. Archie climbs to his bunk with Sharpedo in grasp.

Then Maxie yawns. His muscles weigh down to the soles of his feet, as if he's lugging a giant anchor behind his back. _Is this how it feels to be Archie every day?_

"Ma… Maxie…" Archie's rubbing his eyes until they almost bleed. "I… I suddenly feel so… tired…"

"Hmm…" Maxie collapses into bed. _So soft. Fleece. Ah, so warm. _Numel's already asleep. "Hmmhm."

"Hm… Max…?"

"Yeah…?"

Archie tucks his head out from the upper bunk. His eyelids are stretched tight. The walls are rocking as the train moves. "You… you won't… go anywhere. Right?"

"No. Don't worry, Archie…" A giant yawn. Moisture clouds his sight. "Good night… See ya…"

"Thank, Maxie. Good… ahhhh… night…"

Then everything fades to black.

* * *

_It's so cold._

Archie jolts up in bed. Indeed, gooseflesh had exploded down his arm. His neck. He rubs his forehead and pulls back cold sweat.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. _Archie spies his shirt on the floor. He turns. Sharpedo is snorting in its sleep. _Good. _Archie tucks the shark in and quietly descends the ladder.

The nerd's snoring again. He has hair in his mouth. Archie grins. It's such a welcoming sound, strangely enough… a mundane thing that's suddenly worth noting. On the side, Numel's hump is rising and falling with each deep breath. Archie pulls the blanket over his friend and proceeds to put on his shirt.

_It's still so cold. What time is it? _Archie groans when he sees the clock. The moon is nowhere in the skies now. Just darkness. He has no intention of waking anyone up either, although the space next to Maxie is just_ radiating_ warmth…

_NO, we're not children anymore. I'm a grown-ass man. _Archie tip-toes over to their luggage. _Aaaand… we didn't bring extra blankets. Figures. _The ones in the bathroom are still damp. So that leaves…

Primal instinct seizes Archie's ankles. _"NO!" _screams the rational part of his brain. _"Don't go outside in the dark! What are you THINKING?! Whatever you heard in that cabin might be waiting outside to ambush you!"_

_ HOLY KYOGRE I'm right! _Archie rushes back to the ladder. But he's shivering. It's hard to think straight. _Is it the air conditioning? Why is it on full blast? PLEASE let it be the air conditioning…_

_ Come on, Archie! There'll be attendants outside! T-They can't just abandon the train! And you're not a kid anymore! JUST GO OUTSIDE AND ASK FOR A BLANKET!_

_ NO! What if some lunatic is running around outside? Remember those movies we watched? I'll get bodied—_

Maxie sneezes. Archie takes a deep breath. _Thank you ma, for your love and patience. Thank you pa, for your support. Thank you Shelly, Matt, for your dedication. Thank you Sharpedo… Maxie, you weren't always such a big nerd…_

Archie braces himself and opens the door.

Silence. Archie cracks open an eye. Light. Chandeliers. Illumination washing the blue walls in pale light. No one in sight. Just him. And his shadow.

_FU—_

_ Baby steps, Archie. Baby. Steps. _He quietly closes the door. He keeps his focus straight ahead as he sprints down the hallway in the search for another soul.

No luck. The windows of the other cabins are dark. Inky darkness peers from behind the larger windows. Gooseflesh is crawling down his legs. His stomach is rising up his throat. Archie shuts his eyes as he barrels down cabooses, as he pushes against shadows into uncharted waters.

_DID SOMEONE JUST BREATHE!?_

_ Oh, that's just me._

_ Holy Kyogre. _The noise-canceling carpet makes it impossible to hear anything other than his thrashing heartbeat. It'll be a shame if someone is following him, and he'll never know. Turning back is also NOT an option.

Then light. Sweet, merciful light at the end of the tunnel. Archie grips the handle and pulls.

Warm, buttery light greets Archie's tumbling entrance. Windows on all sides, spanning to absorb the scenery of late, late night. Buttons. Levers. The rumbling of engine and machinery.

There's a lone man behind the control panel. Tall. Uniformed. His gloved hands clasped behind his back. Archie's eyes dart for a hiding place when the statue turns.

"Good evening, sir," he says in quiet monotone. Archie shuts his eyes. When he opens them, the man is still there. An unreadable expression plays on his face as he tips his cap. "What brings you out here in this hour, mister Archie?"

Archie's mouth moves, but no words come out. He stares at the other man; the latter simply waiting with a tilt of his head. _Baby steps… one. Two… _until Archie reaches out to poke that lapelled chest.

The young man stiffens. Archie pokes him again. "Holy Kyogre, you're an actual human being!"

* * *

After a long-winded apology, Archine finally snaps back to the present.

"Of course I know you," the young conductor is saying. "You're staying in Cabin 005 with a mister Maxie."

Archie frowns. "It's common courtesy to know of our passengers' names," the man adds softly. He tips his cap with a small nod. "My name is Cyrus. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"Cyrus?" _Sounds like a real human name. _Archie scratches the back of his head. "I… don't think I've ever seen you around before. So there are two conductors on this train?" _This one's the nicer one then._

"I am the train engineer, sir." Cyrus's lips press upwards. "The conductor is another field." He gestures to the colorful control board. "I spend the majority of my time in here. Not many people know that I exist, save for the few brave souls who happen to get lost."

_"Like you," _he might've added.

A cold finger taps Archie's heart. Those dim eyes remind him of something-_someone? -_but association escapes him.

The train skids over a pebble, sending the lanterns into a frantic sway. Like the walls are shaking.

"So may I help you, mister Archie?"

Archie slowly tears his gaze back to the lone man in this big room. "Um… do you mind turning down the air conditioning?"

Cyrus frowns. "The ventilation operates on a sensor. But there _is _a switch beside your lamp to manually control the temperature. Look for a red square button."

_Oh, I must've missed it earlier. _Archie grins. "Thanks, Cyrus. Oh, and do you know where I can get extra blankets?"

Cyrus tilts his head. "I can get them for you, sir." He brings up a ring choked with keys. "How many?"

"Two."

"Of course. I will be right back."

"Wait, Cyrus!" The engineer jumps. Archie casually clears his throat. "Um. What about the train?"

"This newer model operates on auto-pilot," is the amused answer. "Ever since they upgraded the system… But I'm still here in case of a major malfunction." Cyrus gestures to a panel on the side. "If you see anything, sir, pull this lever. That's the emergency break."

Archie blocks the door before Cyrus can leave. "U-Um. Cyrus. I'm going with you." The engineer tilts his head, his brow furrowed. Archie licks his lips. "Please?"

_Cyrus's stare is really penetrating. _Then his eyes crinkle. "If that's what you would like. Of course, sir. Now, let's be quick in case something unfortunate does happen to the train."

Archie lets Cyrus take the lead. The young man's strides are ridiculously long, much to Archie's chagrin, but he can't risk losing the only soul on this train.

_Wait. What happened to the music? _A sudden pounding pulsates in his skull. An uncanny ringing echoing in his ears. A sinking realization grips his heart—an unexplained fear, but when Cyrus turns over his shoulder, all the doubts recede back into the glow of the candelabras.

"Cyrus?" Archie mumbles as they pass through cabooses. It's like rowing a raft through rapids—with the engineer acting as the helm that slices through black waters.

"Yes, sir?"

"The carpets are very soft." His voice echoes down the empty hallways.

"You can thank the recent renovations for that, mister Archie." Cyrus taps his boot on the matting. Nothing sounds. "There used to be wooden flooring before this."

"Oh." Another silence. Archie stares at Cyrus's hands, because that's the only thing he feels comfortable looking at right now. "Where's everyone, Cyrus?"

Cyrus stops before a door. "Sleeping, sir." He fishes for his keys. "It's too risky to operate a train while sleep-deprived… seeing how we have a full house today. However, we do our best to keep the train running until the sun rises."

_K-CHERK. _The entrance is a yawning abyss. Cyrus heads inside the storage room and turns on the light. Archie remains outside, waiting. The latter keeps his gaze on that uniformed man at all times, regardless of the strange chills prickling down the nape of his neck.

"Do you need anything else besides blankets, sir?"

"Um. Toilet paper? Some water bottles. Do you have cups?"

"Yes, yes, and yes. The train only stocks 4-ply, if that's all right. Anything else?"

"Um… no? Not right now…"

A nod. "All right. I shall be out shortly, after I clean up this mess."

"Sounds good, Cyrus." Archie would've been content on leaning against the doorway with his back to the darkness when the oddest of whims hits him.

He shouldn't have turned.

He wasn't supposed to.

Cyrus gasps. When sense returns to Archie's world, he sees the fallen items. The pale, gaunt face below him. The cap had fallen off, revealing a fluffy head of blue hair.

_Blue hair, blue eyes… now where have I seen this before…?_

Archie's ears finally work when Cyrus begins to wheeze. The bigger man politely rolls off with a heartfelt apology. The young engineer rubs his temples, but he kneels the recollect the fallen items, all while giving Archie a very strange look.

"Cyrus!"

"Yes."

"Cyrus!" Archie's voice is cracking. Cyrus frowns. "Cyrus, there was someone there! Behind the wall! Watching us!"

Cyrus is already to that spot in question. Archie scrambles to follow. The former stares at the carpet. At the wall. At the closed and secured entrance leading to the gangway.

"I know what I saw, Cyrus!" Archie hisses when he sees that look. "It was a head! Someone was definitely there!"

"It… could've been another passenger? And please keep your voice down, mister Archie. It is still nighttime."

_I haven't seen a stupid soul outside, and now someone chooses NOW to show up? At this unholy hour?_

_ Coincidence? I think not!_

When Archie blinks, Cyrus is still there. _Thank Kyogre this kid is still here! The brightest light source in this stinking train!_

Cyrus recoils when Archie hugs him, but the young man allows it until Archie's heartbeat returns to normal and heat returns to his body. Cyrus is even considerate enough to escort Archie back to his compartment. To the hallway with the blue wallpaper.

"Your safety is our utmost priority," Cyrus gently assures the larger man for the fortieth time. "I will look into the incident, mister Archie. You need not worry a thing aside form planning your itinerary."

"Thank you, Cyrus," Archie mutters. "Thank you so much."

Cyrus nods. Then they're in front of Cabin 005. The uniformed engineer puts away the items as Archie approaches the bunk beds. It's like wading through a field of frozen time. The Pokemon are snoring soundly away. Maxie twitches when his friend spreads the extra blanket over him, but he's still out like a dormant volcano.

Then it's up the ladder. The bed is warm. And soft. Archie gingerly nudges Sharpedo aside to wiggle into his spot. Lethargy hits like a wooden bat to the skull. It takes all his willpower just to turn his head towards the opened door.

"Good night, mister Archie." That soft voice floats across the thickening air. Archie sees splotches of blue. Of black, silver buttons, and red lining. A glistening object in the man's hand.

"Yeah… thanks…" Then he remembers. "Oh. Cyrus?"

"Yes, sir?"

Consciousness is a fickle concept to grasp. "Who's… in Cabin 004?"

Silence. Darkness is growing, overpowering the lone night-light in the room. Through closing slits does Archie see the shift in shadow. Boots thumping in the thick carpet.

"No one, mister Archie. No one in a while."

Then the door slides in, plunging the world into black.


	2. Day 2

"AUGH!"

Maxie jolts into the air. One second. Two seconds… three seconds pass before color returns to his world.

_Blanket. Bed. Pillow._

"Num?"

The camel peers at him from under a towel. Maxie wraps his arm around his best Pokemon friend until peace returns to his trashing heart.

"T-Thank you, Numel." The camel coos. Maxie drags a hand through his hair. _Ugh. It's already bright outside…_

A spiky head peeks from the couch. Maxie makes his bed before crossing over to his bestest friend. "Archie," he begins. "I had the weirdest…"

Then Archie turns.

"Archie?" Maxie mutters. "You… you all right there?"

Archie rubs his eyes. The skin is red around his forehead. "Mornin' Max. Um… yeah. I think I'm good."

"You _think?"_

Archie looks to the brightening skies. He gives a tired grin. "I got you a banana from the dining car. Since you slept through breakfast."

"I apologize." Maxie accepts the fruit. He makes a face as he peels the damp fabric from his skin. "I… I think it was the weird fish balls yesterday, Archie. The cavaliers or such. The indigestion must've created some weird dreams."

Archie visibly tenses. Maxie slides down the opposite seat and begins to eat.

"What… dream did you have, Maxie?"

Maxie raises an eyebrow. "Don't laugh, but… but I dreamt that I was sleeping. On this train. In our cabin, with the nightlight and everything…

"I remember feeling very, very cold. As if someone had abused the air conditioner. I opened my eyes because I planned to get an extra blanket…"

Archie's leaning too close. His eyes are unnaturally bright, like he's staring into a static television. "And?" he breathes.

Maxie shoots up. "I forgot."

"No, you didn't." Archie tugs Maxie back to the couch. "What did you see, Maxie? What happened that night?"

Maxie frowns. He chomps on his banana so forcefully that his teeth gnashes together.

_"I saw someone staring down at me, Archie,"_ he whispers. _"Someone was in our cabin."_

The color drains from Archie's face until a corpse is sitting where that man had sat, not just a second ago. "What…" Maxie shifts away, but Archie's intense stare pins him down. "What did that person look like, Maxie? What can you remember?"

"Er…" _Cold. Blue. Nightlight casting off against black fabric. Leather? _"I don't remember the face… But he—I am certain that he was a man—wore all black. Very tall and big… Might've had a hat…"

Archie blinks slowly, as if manually forcing his eyelids to operate. Maxie throws the banana peel to the rubbish bin, misses, and scrambles to pick it back up.

"Oh yes. There was a particular smell too… It was different than the train smell, but I have the strangest feeling that I've smelled it before…"

But recollection escapes him.

Archie is still gaping. "But… but you weren't hurt, right?"

Maxie shakes his head. "I… don't think so, Archie. That man… or whatever he was, kept looking down on me. I couldn't even scream. Couldn't even move. But I very clearly remember his mouth opening…"

Archie is literally on the edge of his seat. Maxie closes his eyes.

"He looked at me and said, _'Wrong one.'" _

Those words settle into the air like the ominous gales of an incoming monster storm. Maxie drops his gaze to his fuzzy Camerupt-slippers. "This is pathetic," he mutters. "The Great Maxie fell prey to a stupid nightmare. On the _first _day of a luxury express, and I'm waking up in cold sweat."

Archie's eyes are vacant. He puts a hand against his cheek, staring outside at nothing in particular.

"Something's on your mind, Archie."

His friend blinks. Then he barks out a laugh that sends gooseflesh down Maxie's arms. "Bwahaha! No, it's just the homesickness! Yeah, that's probably it…"

_What are you hiding from me, Archie?_

Archie pats his friend's back. "It's just a nightmare, Max. They're not real. Okay, nightmares aren't real. Remember that time I thought that the ice caps finally melted, and eternal rain flooded the land?"

"Y-Yes… and I had a similar dream… but this time, there was an everlasting drought and the sun was coming closer and closer—"

"SEE?!" Maxie jolts. Archie sounds quite… hysterical, for lack of a better word. The man's grinning, but there's something off about that smile. "I-It's just gas! Come on, ol' buddy ol' pal, let's grab some lunch."

Maxie glances at his watch. "Okay…" He smacks his lips. "Wait, Archie."

Archie's already at the door. "Yeah?"

"I didn't brush my teeth yet."

* * *

"I never thought I would hate blue so much in my life."

Maxie raises an eyebrow at Archie's utterance. The latter simply shakes his head. Said blue in question is rippling like a cerulean ocean under sunlight. Light is streaming into the compartment, lifting the veil of darkness from the nooks and crannies.

Archie juts his chin, and Maxie follows his gaze.

A head is poking out of Cabin 006.

_Holy Groudon. _Nevertheless, the two friends hover across the plush carpet. Any minor scuffle is masked by tinny ragtime squeezing from the speakers.

Cabin 004 is passed without a second glance.

Maxie exhales through his mouth. "Excuse me."

The head jolts. Then a neck tumbles out. A body. An arm. All limps recompose themselves. "U-Uh!" sputters the inhabitant of Cabin 006 as he reaches for his belt, only to realize that he's just in a t-shirt and boxers.

The friends wait. The man runs a hand over his hair and tries again.

"Hello gentlemen! Good morning!"

"Morning," Maxie grunts. A pause. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Maxie, and this is Archie. We're in the cabin next door."

"Oh." The man rubs his stubble-speckled chin. Sunlight catches on his salt-and-pepper hair. "Well, pleased to meet you, Maxie and Archie. I'm… you may call me Lou Karr."

Archie's brows furrow, but he accepts the hand nonetheless. "Lou Karr, huh? Where are you traveling from?"

"I travel around the world."

"Oh really? Like where?" _Wow, no wonder he's here on this luxury cruise…_

"Oh, I've been to Sinnoh. Unova… Kalos…" Lou Karr smiles. "And you two? Hoenn, I'm guessing?"

The friends exchange a glance. "Wow," Archie chirps. "What are you, a detective?"

Lou Karr snorts. "Haha! I am honored that you think so highly of me! No, it's just deduction…"

The train begins to approach an endless stretch of mountain.

"Um… Lou Karr?"

"Yes, Archie?"

Archie's breathing is shallow, and Maxie doesn't like that. "You…" His voice cracks. "Did you see anything last night?"

Lou Karr crosses his arms. "Last night? Uh… I was out like a log last night, sorry. My bed is just so warm—ahem. Why?"

Archie jerks his shoulders as he shrugs. "Just curious." He refuses to meet Maxie's intense stare.

"I see. It is okay." Then Lou Karr leans forward. "I'm also curious myself: have you two seen anything… _strange _around here?"

Maxie's heart flips in on itself. Suddenly he's back in that darkened room, staring up into the writhing shadow—

_"Wrong one." That voice… was it even a voice? It was a distortion of sorts, a mess of-_

"Strange how?" Archie's voice jars him back to the present. Maxie exhales quietly, a hand pressed against his chest.

Lou Karr opens his mouth. **_RING! _** "Oof, I am sorry, gentlemen, but duty calls. I shall catch up with you two later." He gives them a quick wave before disappearing behind his door.

Maxie stares at Cabin 006's placard before turning back to his friend. Archie's attention is wholly focused on the corner—that small space between the cabin and hallway walls.

_A space too small for a person to hide, _Maxie notes—and quickly shudders at such a morbid observation. "At least we know who's in our compartment," he huffs with a small smile. "Just us three—"

"Three?"

The two friends whirl back so fast that Maxie almost trips over his legs. There, standing stiff and straight like railroads, are two cap-donning men in identical but color-inverted uniforms.

"Three of you in this car?" says the man in white.

"Three of you in this car," repeats the one in black as he checks his clipboard. "Noted."

"W-Who are you?" Archie wheezes from behind Maxie's back. _These soundproof carpets might be a much bigger problem than originally anticipated…_

The men exchange a glance.

"I am Emmet," says the twin in the white uniform at the same time that the other twin in black uniform speaks, "I am Ingo."

_"Of course_ there has to be twins," Archie whispers, and Maxie clenches his teeth.

"We, Emmet and Ingo, are your two _chef de train _aboard the Reinbo Express." Ingo's eyes are relatively dimmer than his twin's. "It's verrrrry nice to meet you, mister Archie and mister Maxie."

"Er… I'm Maxie. He's Archie."

"We apologize. You are verrrrry different from each other. I will note that." Emmet dabs Ingo's clipboard. "Thank you. All aboard!"

The friends part for the twins. Their heavy boots make no sound, of course, save for the jingling of keys and badges.

Only when black and white left the blue car does Archie turn back.

"Maxie, about last night…"

* * *

The restaurant car is mostly empty. A few unfamiliar people. The chef and his personnel. Maxie and Archie take the table behind a chattering pair.

"I tell ya, Lenora, this beef patty is dry as heck. Ya think they can spare some lard or somethin'—"

"You _have _to start eating healthier, Clay. Honestly, someday you'll just contribute to the already dreary statistics. Do you _want _to be dependent on your meds forever?"

Maxie orders a beef stroganoff, which he splits with Archie. The men sit in silence, blowing on their food and washing it down with sparkling water.

"I don't see why I hafta board this overrated gold heap just ta' git ta' Gilded Heights."

"Clay, this is the only express that goes there. You'll be fine… as long as you skip on the red meat."

Maxie scoops a portion of moist flesh. _Marbled _flesh, to be exact, glimmering with an olive oil glaze.

"So you saw someone near Lou Karr's cabin, Archie?"

Archie puts down his fork. "Yeah. But now that I think about it… it's probably just the nerves." He stares at the tender meat. Then he glances to the cloudless skies. "It was dark. I was sca—I was overwhelmed, to say the least."

The food wouldn't go down, so Maxie grabs a glass of sparkling water and chugs that. _Owowow carbonation. _"But what about the—URP! Excuse me." _Holy Groudon slow down, Maxie. _"What about Cyrus? The engineer?"

The color returns to Archie's cheeks. "Oh yeah… that kid. Well, he felt real… Maybe he _was _real…"

"We can go ask later," Maxie offers, and Archie nods. "And besides, I still have the blanket that you got me! It hasn't disappeared yet!"

The restaurant doors slide open. Heels click against marble tiles.

"Good morning, Ariana." Maxie slides over for her to sit.

"Hmm. Morning, you two." Archie hands her the menu. She squints at it through half-closed eyes. "Hmm… too bright…"

Maxie watches her golden earrings dangle in the light.

_ Wait a minute. This is…_

"Ariana?"

"Hmm? What, Si- Maxie?"

He inhales quietly. "What… what perfume do you use? I-If I may ask," he adds quickly.

Archie raises an eyebrow. Ariana flicks the loose strands of red from her forehead, those earrings scattering with rainbow refractions.

"Gardenia," she grunts. "Why?"

"I… I have a friend who's interested in perfume," mutters Maxie, pretending not to notice Archie's incredulous staring at his right.

"Oh." She yawns into her hand. "Mm. Let's see… oh, they _do_ have game here…"

"Ariana?" She looks up. Maxie clears his throat. "Did you sleep well last night?"

The menu slips from her fingers. But her mask immediately slides back into place, and she scoffs. "Of course, honey." Her eyes are flashing, and Maxie's spine is tingling in response. "How about you? Nightmare?"

The friends exchange a glance. "We slept just fine," Archie mumbles.

Before Ariana can continue, a bushy green tail smacks her face.

"I am so sorry, Ariana!" N cries. He puts out his hands but his knee flies out instead. The next few seconds are a blur as the young man slams into the table, latching out last minute to the satin tablecloth, and down he goes with the food and dishes.

"Watch it, brat!" Ariana snaps, but she still hoists him up. She sweeps him for any stray glass particles. "You clumsy, clumsy boy!"

"I-I'm sorry," N sniffles. "I-I didn't see the table…"

"Get your head out of the clouds, Natural!"

The staff have arrived and are cleaning up the mess. Archie and Maxie step aside.

"Poor kid," Lenora mutters.

Once the situation was cleaned up (N was apologizing his head off until the kitchen staff offered him some artisan cheeses to shut him up), the party was relocated to a cleaner table.

The Conductor is glaring at them. Maxie makes a point of licking his fork, showing off the full potential of his tongue muscles. As expected, the bitter man turns away in disgust.

Sycamore and Mister E join shortly after N is on his sixth omelet. The old man's eagle eyes rake across the scene, sensing the mood.

"What happened?"

"Nothing important," Ariana answers for the group. She juts her chin towards the empty seat.

"It's a beautiful morning," Sycamore chirps. His hair is as messy as ever, yet it suits him. "You all slept well yesterday?"

Maxie and Archie stiffen. Ariana chugs a glass of bourbon in one sitting.

"It _is _an adjustment." Mister E gives a polite smile when conversation halts to a standstill. "You _are _sleeping on a moving vehicle after all." N absorbs this thought, and he shoves a blob of ketchup into his mouth.

"Archie," Maxie whispers. "It's not polite to stare."

"It was green, Maxie."

"What?"

Mister E points to the menu. "That's bouillabaisse," Sycamore replies with a lazy laugh.

"Oh. Fancy name for a soup." The old man looks up. "You appear quite harried, Ariana."

She flashes a smile that fails to reach her eyes. "Oh, I'm the type of person who needs alcohol in the morning." Ariana tips her head. "Those two, however, look quite out of it."

"Those two" chuckle nervously amongst themselves. Archie clears his throat. "Um… N?"

Said young man looks up from his bleeding egg tart.

"Um… you… you were in your room last night, right?"

Ariana's lips twitch. Sycamore raises an eyebrow. Mister E blows on his soup. N shoots the asker a weird sort of look.

"Yes," he replies, articulating each vowel. "I was sleeping. In my cabin. Cabin 002… why?"

Archie pokes at his beef, the food long since grown cold. "You… looked like you were sleepwalking earlier."

N blinks. Everyone's eyes are on him now. "No…" he mumbles. "I don't… Well… I don't think that I was sleepwalking. I outgrew it."

He puts down his fork. "Zorua was telling me—"

"Zorua?" Sycamore echoes. "The Pokemon?"

"Yes. She was telling me that she saw—"

"Your Pokemon _told _you _what?" _Ariana huffs.

N blanches. He shoves his cap down his face. "Promise you won't tell?" The adults have to strain to hear that.

"Yes."

"I can talk to Pokemon."

The adults look at each other.

N utters a shaky exhale. "It just doesn't make sense… There's no way for… I mean, I read…"

Maxie orders the kid a glass of freshly-squeezed citrus juice. Sycamore talks it over with Mister E to call some baked macaroni and cheese, which N happily accepts.

Ariana waves everyone back to focus. "So, any information about the sender(s)?"

"I've asked around," Mister E says. "There hasn't been a special promotion since the reopening of the train. It _is _a luxury cruise after all…"

The _chef de train _twins pass the table and disappear into the opposing car. Archie scoots closer to Maxie, who scoots closer to Ariana, who merely frowns.

"And here's another matter." Mister E presents a rumpled notebook. "I've been noting peculiarities surrounding the train. The carpets—"

"Noise canceling," Archie mutters. The old man nods.

"Precisely, Archie. It might just be my being paranoid, but this design aspect does not sit well with me."

A grim silence settles over the group. N looks up from his empty dish. Ariana sighs and dabs a napkin to the kid's cheese-stained lips.

"You had a nightmare," Ariana says gently, yet firmly. "Like those two."

"Why won't you believe me?" N huffs. "Zorua saw him!"

_"Him?" _Different faces pop into the friend's minds. Ariana's features have darkened considerably.

"Yes, my… my…" N suddenly yanks his head away, and Maxie's heart plummets to his stomach. The young man returns with a serene smile. "No, you're right." His tone is completely different from before, a profound shift from night to day. "There's no way that can happen. It's just a bad dream."

"Natural…"

"Ooh, they have vegan chicken! Excuse me! I'll get five of this please!"

* * *

After a terse lunch with N wholly focused on his food, the group disperses to explore the train. Maxie and Archie remain in the dining car to recollect the events of that morning.

"Did you really think that N saw… you know?" Archie whispers fiercely.

Maxie rubs his nose bridge. "I really don't know, Archie. N is still a kid, but… still…"

Mountains pass by the windows. The sheer monotony would drive anyone mad. An attendant offers the men drinks, and they each settle on a glass of mineral water.

Then Archie slump back into his seat. "Hehe… Haha… Bwahahahahaha!"

"A-Archie?!"

"Maxie, I want to go home."

Maxie blinks. Archie sighs and drops his forehead to the clean satin tablecloth. "Archie," the former says gently. "We can't go back now. We're all the way up who-knows-where."

"I don't even have any business at Gilded Heights, Maxie! I've never heard of that place in my life!"

"That's…" Maxie automatically reaches for his glasses. "Come on, old friend. You said so yourself that we're here for the three R's, remember? Imagine the stories we can bring home! The experiences, the memories…"

Archie peers up from his arms. Maxie smiles. "Okay, so Tabitha and Shelly _were _hesitant to let us go on the trip, but I feel safe with you around, Archie. I'm spending my week with my best friend, what else can possibly be better? Push aside all those negative thoughts! You're a professor at the best university in the world! Don't let a little setback ruin your fun!"

Archie snorts. "Funny, coming from a nerd like you." But he's chuckling nonetheless. "Okay, the Great Maxie. Okay. Let's go have some fun."

"That's what I like to hear!"

Archie follows Maxie out of the dining car. "Actually, I'm going to have to hold off on the fun." The burly man yawns. "I need to recharge my batteries."

"Yes. Sounds good." Maxie rubs his eyes. The two maneuver across the coaches, catching snippets of conversation here and there.

"Oui, your coat is fantastique, Monsieur! They sell zees in where I come from…"

"Hey, son, did you bring those fossils along?"

"Ya look a dang lot like 'im, kid. It's a darn shame what happened ta…"

* * *

Archie halts.

There, before their very, very wide eyes, is Lou Karr. The man is on all fours as he patters around the scented carpet. He has his face pressed to the floor.

"Lou Karr…?"

At the mention of his name, the man jumps. "O-Oh. Hello, Archie and Maxie!" He tightens his trench coat. "What's—um… forward?"

"You mean _what's up?" _Archie grunts. Lou Karr bobs his head.

"Did you lose something?" Maxie asks.

"W-What? No!" Lou Karr's hair is a bit crumbled at the edges, as if a violent hand had passed through numerous times. "Of course not! I'm just… um…"

"We can help," Archie offers.

"Um…" Lou Karr scratches his head. "Oh, no, that's all right, gentlemen. It's a burdensome task anyhow." He raps his fingers against his side. **_Tmp. Tmp._**

"Was it loaded?" he mutters out of earshot.

Archie clears his throat before the tinny bossa nova becomes too overwhelming. "Lou Karr, about what you said earlier…" Maxie tenses at that tone. "What did you mean by something 'strange?'"

Lou Karr crosses his arms. His eyes dart to and fro between the two gaping friends. "Why? Did you two notice anything out of the ordinary?"

_Why is everyone being so dang secretive? _But out loud, Maxie says, "Maybe, but we asked you first."

Lou Karr scowls. Archie matches that by crossing his arms.

Then Lou Karr sighs. "Well…" A grimace. "I don't know how you two would classify _strange, _but my gut is telling me that something is… _off _about this train." He waits for the doubts that never came, which prompts him to continue. "To start off, our neighbors haven't returned to their cabin since the train departed…"

Archie faces Maxie with a "I TOLD YOU THAT PLACE IS HEXED" expression, and the temperature instantly plunges to the negatives.

"But then again, I might be looking too much into this—"

"I say we investigate," Archie blurts, the desire to nap nowhere to be seen on his excited face. His eyes are too bright for Maxie's comfort, but then again, morbid curiosity is too infectious to treat.

Lou Karr shakes his head. "U-Um… That was just a musing—"

"Cabin 004 has been bothering us too." _Breathe, Maxie. Breathe. _"Might as well settle this matter once and for all." _And now we have a witness, just in case things go awry._

_ Which they won't._

_ Of course not._

"A-All right." Lou Karr's hand slides to his belt. He scowls and drops his arm to his pockets. The three men sneak down the blue corridor to that curious place. The blinds are open so sunlight can touch the room beyond the compartment window. _Nothing appears out of place…_

_ Or so they want us to think!_

Lou Karr steels his breath. Archie and Maxie are pressed against the man's trench coat—there's a peculiar smell of grape. Three hearts thunder as the doorknob turns…

"What are you doing?"

"AUGH!" Lou Karr jolts back, slamming into Maxie who collides into Archie who tumbles down like a pile of leaves in blustery wind.

Ingo's steely eyes linger on the heap of flesh. "What are you doing?" he repeats in that monotone of his.

"That is not your room," Emmet adds in his own monotone. "Your cabin is—"

"-005, misters Archie and Maxie—"

"—and mister Lou Karr, your cabin is—"

"—006, do you need directions?"

The twins loom over the men like sentinels. A dimly lit hotel corridor flashes across Maxie's eyes… words scribbled in crimson on a door, a tricycle creaking across the plush carpet—

Lou Karr stumbles to his feet. "We were just worried," he says smoothly. "We haven't seen our neighbors all day."

Emmet cocks his head. "No one is there, mister Lou Karr."

Archie helps his friend up. "But isn't here a full house today?"

Ingo frowns. While he flips through his clipboard, Maxie shoots Archie a look.

"Yes… you are right," says the _chef de train. _"Our records show that there are no empty seats…"

"Yet we have an empty seat in Cabin 004," Emmet murmurs. "What is that? A stain? A name? We must fix this, lest we want it to happen again…"

Ingo's eyes glint under the shadow of his cap. "How did you know about the full house, mister Archie?"

"T-The train engineer told me."

"Oh." Emmet nods. "You talked to him. You went to him. How nice. He drives all day. He gets lonely too, never leaving his seat."

Archie frowns. Ingo raps his board. "I will communicate with the Conductor. Mayhaps we need to update our records."

"We have been operating with an error, Ingo."

"You are right, Emmet. Let us—"

"—make haste."

The twins give a curt nod to the gawking men.

Then they stop. Slowly, like two robotic humanoids, their heads crane back with their necks. **_SNNNNAAAAAPPPPP._**

"Be careful," Ingo begins.

"When you poke your nose where it doesn't belong," Emmet finishes.

And with that, they're gone.

Lou Karr's fists are tucked safely into his pockets. No one looks at each other. The blue walls only worsen the mood.

_"Close your eyes," _sings the canned singer in an all-too familiar voice as the bossa nova crescendos. _"Close your eyes to ride this midnight express…"_

* * *

The evening skies cry a somber eulogy. Inside the train, the candelabras shower the walls in melancholy light. Outside the train, a burning sun is plummeting into the horizon.

Maxie and Archie pass Lou Karr on their way to the dining car. That man has his head poked out of his room, his eyes darting to the growing shadows.

The Conductors pass the friends without a glance. And that's fine.

In the posh dining car, Ariana is standing beside the window. Her eyes aren't fixed at anything, but she's twisting that ring—the kind made from genuine silver that erupts into flames when exposed to sunlight.

Sycamore is sitting at a table, a glass of champagne next to his dish of fancy salad. He's typing away at his laptop, his normally carefree face now cold as ice.

Maxie shivers. A strange chill had tapped into his visceral organs and refuses to dissipate.

Emmet and Ingo are standing in the corner. Mister E is also there—_thank Groudon—_as he seems to be comforting a distraught woman.

"He hasn't come back," she's murmuring. _That's… Think Maxie… Oh, Lenora, wasn't it? _Maxie gestures Archie forward. "What about his medication? He can't just _leave _without taking it after he eats…"

"Perhaps he fancied a stroll outside?" The old man gestures to the orange skies. "The scenery is quite nice at dusk."

"Oh, he can be the sentimental fellow, Mister… E, right?" Lenora shakes her head, and her shoulders slump. "But Clay usually returns before it gets dark. He's fully capable of taking care of himself, but…"

"We've searched the entire train." The Conductor hurries into view. "Do you happen to know about his last whereabouts, miss Lenora?"

"No, he told me that he was going to take a walk to digest the food. I waited for him in our cabin, so we can have dinner together."

Maxie feels hot breath on his neck. A stern-faced Lou Karr holds a finger against clamped lips.

Mister E is scribbling something into his notepad. _That's a fluffy pen. I've never seen a blue feather before. _"About what time would you say that he left, miss Lenora?"

"Hey, wait a minute," Lou Karr hisses under his breath.

"After we had lunch," Lenora says after a pause. Then she turns to Maxie and Archie. "We saw the whole thing." She smiles. It's a polite smile.

"Do you know who Clay spoke to last?" Mister E continues while the friends flush into their hands.

"Hmm… I don't know. I was talking to this wonderful person." Maxie turns to see the red-haired woman at his side. She gives a curt nod to solidify her alibi.

"What were you talking about?"

"Now, now," snaps the Conductor. "We can't just be interrogating passengers on a whim! You're not the police!"

Lou Karr makes a strange sound in his throat. Mister E taps his feather pen against paper. "I'm just concerned about Clay's wellbeing, sir. The fellow hasn't come back to take his medicine?" The old man tilts his head, those eyes bearing past the decorated lapels. "Doesn't _that _strike you as odd, sir?"

Lenora rolls her eyes. But Archie hears the implication of that statement, and the color drains from his face.

Sycamore has also moved from his seat. "Did you ask everyone on the train yet?" he says, his fingers hovering above his laptop.

"We have yet to," replies Emmet. "We will do it soon."

"Though I doubt most will be willing to talk right now," says Emmet, gesturing to the darkened skies. _The stakes aren't high yet. _"But we can always pick up tomorrow morning."

"Now, now, why are you treating this like an actual investigation? It's probable that mister Clay is back in his cabin right now!" The Conductor points to his watch. "In my opinion, this is just a grand misunder—"

"What's going on?"

All heads turn to the youth with the yipping Zorua in his arms. N catches Lenora's eyes.

"Where were you, N?" Sycamore asks.

"I… had to use the restroom. Real bad," is the slow answer. N looks around the crowd. "What's going on?"

Lou Karr opens his mouth, but it's Mister E who speaks. "What cabin do you reside in, Lenora, if I may ask?"

"Oh it's fine, Mister E. I'm in Cabin 019."

The old man turns to the bewildered youth. "You passed by Lenora's cabin on your way here, right, N?"

"Yes…"

"Did you see anyone inside?"

Zorua whimpers. N shakes his head. "I didn't mean to look in, but the curtains were open. I'm sorry, miss Lenora."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Natural." Mister E jots into his notepad. Lenora sighs into her hands. "Everyone forgets to close those curtains anyway."

Ingo clears his throat. "If we may, since you all are here right now, ask where you were between the hours of 13:00 and presently?"

"Why—"

"My brother has a point, Conductor," Emmet says flatly. The Conductor scowls. The _chef de train _turns to the group. "Ingo and I were checking. Doing rounds. Seeing if all is right on this here train."

"Between the hours of 14:00 and 15:00, we saw these three gentlemen in the Blue Car." Ingo nods to the three people in question. "Misters Archie and Maxie of Cabin 005, and mister Lou Karr of Cabin 006."

Maxie exchanges a glance with his neighbors. "W-We went straight into our room," he says. "And didn't come out until dinnertime."

"Who can attain to that?"

"Me." Lou Karr crosses his arms. "I was with them in Cabin 005. We talked about our itinerary, Mister… E, is that really your name?"

Archie raises an eyebrow at Lou Karr's ingenuity. Mister E, however, returns a hard smile.

"Is Lou Karr really _your _name, sir?"

"I'm Sycamore, and I was in my room, Cabin 010, after lunch," says the man, effectively shattering the tense silence. "No one can confirm that, I'm afraid…"

"I can." Ariana puts a hand to her hip. "I was admiring the details of the train. I stopped by Sycamore's cabin at around 16:10, and he was indeed there, typing away."

"Where did you go next, miss Ariana?"

"To my room, mister Lou Karr, Cabin 021. Next to the Control Room. I ordered a glass of bourbon at around 15:30."

"It's true," speaks the Conductor. "I did offer the lady her beverage… although I don't recall ever seeing mister Clay during my rounds."

Mister E sets down his notebook. "I was out in the patio, admiring the sunset before I went back inside for dinner, to which I happened to see miss Lenora."

"We saw him," Emmet grunts. "He was indeed outside. Under the umbrella."

Then the conversation stops at that.

Lou Karr whirls around. "What about you?" he blurts to the gaping young man.

"I-I was in my room, taking a nap." Zorua nods, as if confirming its Trainer's alibi. "I woke up for dinner, and that's when I saw you all talking."

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"My Pokemon can!"

The adults regather to their conversation. "No one here has seen Clay," mutters Mister E. "But do not worry, Lenora. We'll keep looking."

"Best not to cause panic aboard." Everyone understands the Conductor's unspoken words. "I'm sure that he'll come back eventually, but I'll tell all personnel to be on watch. Is there anything I should know about mister Clay?"

Lenora gives it a thought. "He always wears his cowboy hat. I got him that as a gift, decades ago."

"Look for a cowboy hat," Emmet says.

"A hat for cowboys," adds Ingo, scribbling on his clipboard.

"I'll accompany you back, Lenora," Ariana offers. Lenora smiles and accepts the hand. The former turns to the group of men. "We'll be staying in Cabin 019 in case he comes back. Let us know if you see anything."

"Oh, I can't possibly bother you like that, Ariana." Lenora gives a confident but shaky grin. "I'll be fine, but thank you kindly."

The small group begins to disperse as the evening skies lose color and the track changes from bossa nova to jazz. Sycamore bids everyone good night. The train personnel remain behind to talk amongst themselves.

"You're not coming with us, Lou Karr?"

Lou Karr's eyes are narrowed and dim. "You two head back first. I'd like to have a little word with our friend." The "friend" in question adjusts his bowler cap before leaving. Lou Karr waves his neighbors along before he disappears after the old man.

* * *

The walk back to the blue caboose is met in silence and jazz. Passengers are turning in for the night, according to what Maxie glimpses beyond the compartment window.

Archie freezes. The temperature drops by increments of ten.

"Maxie, what if Clay—"

"No," he snaps with sharp finality. "No, no, no! It's been empty, remember?"

But they shut up and listen. **_Choo, choo… rkt rkt rkt… _**_"Clouds right over my eyes, hmm, hmm… If I remembered what I forgot… Was it something important?"_

"I don't hear anything, Archie."

"The windows are open, Maxie."

"T-Then you look!"

"N-Nuh-uh! You're closer!"

They both look. As usual, the cabin is empty. And dark. "HOLY GROUDON SOMEONE TURNED ON THE—" _Wait, but that lamp's been on since we got here. Nobody must've bothered to turn that off._

"Don't scare me like that, Maxie!" Archie hisses. He drags his friend back to the safe cabin and slams that door. Numel and Sharpedo jump into their arms, and for a brief, fleeting moment, all is just and right in this luxury express gone awry.

The two friends cleanse themselves and brush their teeth.

"We have Lou Karr," Archie grunts as he climbs up his bunk.

"True." _If anything, we can just knock. _"I'll keep the lamp on."

"Sounds good."

**_DING! DING!_**

Maxie's spine suddenly gives out. Archie also collapses into his bed, the impact shaking the foundation of the bunk. It's near impossible to keep their eyes open. Something… something in the air is pressing down on their chests.

_Am I __**that **__exhausted? It's just like yesterday…_

"A… Archie…?"

Snoring answers him. Maxie snuggles into his covers, into that blanket that Archie got for him. Numel is radiating warmth like a gentle sun. Maxie wraps his arms around the Pokemon, staring at the flickering light on the counter until darkness seeps into his skull.

* * *

**_Skritch. Skritch._**

Archie shoots out of the bed, almost falling off the stairs if not for his Sharpedo-like reflexes that ultimately saved his life.

_OH HELL NO I KNEW IT I KNEW ITTTT!_

"Maxie! Maxie!"

Maxie groans. Archie checks that Sharpedo is snoring happily away before sliding down the stairs. He shakes that nerd until the latter cracks open an eye.

"Wha… what?" Archie yanks the blanket away before Maxie can withdraw back into safety. "Archie… Archie, listen. It's still dark…"

"Wake up, Maxie!" _Wait, keep your voice down, man! You… you might wake whatever is lurking outside!_

"No!"

Archie takes a deep breath that almost hurts his lungs. _Thank Kyogre the lamp is still on. _"Maxie," he states with all the seriousness of the world.

"What?"

_"Something was moving in the other room."_

* * *

The two friends rock-paper-scissors. Archie groans loudly, but he slides open the cabin door regardless. Maxie pokes his now wide-awake head to the soulless blue corridors.

_At night, the walls are vibrating as if they had hearts. _

"T-There's no one here, A-Archie."

"I-I heard it, Maxie! Something—_someone_—was in The Cabin!" _The Cabin. The official name. _"I very clearly heard a clicking sound!"

"Y-You had a bad dream." Maxie's about to close that door when Archie grabs his arm.

"Maxie." The man jumps at that tone. Archie only uses that tone in cases of extreme emergencies. "How long have you known me?"

"Holy Groudon you're right!" Maxie's voice is dipping in and out of audible range. "B-But what do we do! We can't just go outside!"

_"We'll get bodied!" _His best friend leaves that unsaid, but Archie hears that, clearer than the rumbling wheels across steel tracks.

_Oh! _"Lou Karr!" he whispers, and Maxie's eyes widen. "Lou Karr can help!"

The two friends look both ways before crossing the street. There's no music. No sound except for their own thrashing heartbeat as they steal across the night sky.

**_B-BMP. B-BMP. BBBMP!_**

Maxie freezes in his tracks. _OHNONONONO—_

"A-Archie?"

"Y-Yes, Maxie?"

Maxie cranes his neck to that darkened compartment window.

"Wasn't the lamp on?"

_HOLY KYOGRE HOLY GROUDON BY THE NAME OF RAYQUAZA ABOVE—_

A third shadow is on the floor, a three-pronged shadow with a hole in its chest.

"AUAUAUUGHG!"

"STOP YELLING!"

**_B-BMPBBMPBMPBMP…B-BMP-bmp… _**Through the cracks in his fingers, Archie sees a light. A bright, blinding light. _Heaven? _A dangling ball of—

"Ooh, looks like the nerd has fainted." The railroad lantern shines upon the foam from Maxie's mouth. "Myahaha… it's been_ years _since things got _this _exciting!"

The towering figure kneels before the unconscious man. Before Archie can recollect his senses, the former slices a gloved hand across Maxie's face.

"AUGH!"

"Myahaha… Good morning, Sunshine."

Archie helps his friend to his feet. The man with the lantern continues to smirk well after everything is properly settled.

Now that Archie's brain is working again, he sees the uniform. Those silver buttons against black fabric, adorned with red lining. The rainbow "R" emblazoned on the breast pocket. The Conductor's cap perched on the mountaintop.

"What… what…" Maxie's squinting at the man as he messages his cheek. "Who…"

"Archie and Maxie, from Cabin 005. The Dynamic Duo." The man with the wisps of green hair taps his monocle. "I am Ghetsis, the Conductor of the Rainbow Express. Pleasure."

Maxie exchanges a glance with Archie. "B-But… there's already a Conductor…"

"I'm the _night _Conductor," Ghetsis huffs as if it's obvious. With each movement, his shadow dances on the wall. "My uniform is black, see?"

"There's a night crew?" Something still isn't sitting right with Archie. Then it clicks, like grains of sand falling into place. Yesterday. During lunch.

_It __**was **__green._

"That _was_ you!" Archie jabs a finger into Ghetsis's lapelled chest. That man's crimson eyes glint in the dreary light.

Maxie shakes his head. "What are you _talking _about, Archie?"

"I was getting you extra blankets yesterday when I saw someone spying on me!" He rushes to that spot—the crevice beside Lou Karr's cabin, the spot where it would be physically impossible for a man of Ghetsis's height to squeeze through. "It was you, right, Ghetsis? It was YOU!"

_The only other person with green hair would be…_

Ghetsis had been covering an ear. He then shrugs, and Archie's blood boils. "Why didn't you say anything, man? I lost sleep because of you!"

"Your reaction was priceless, though!" is the amused answer. Archie's jaw drops, and Maxie frowns.

"I'm sure conductors don't harass their passengers!" Maxie mutters.

"But it's _fun," _Ghetsis presses. "You still don't know what _fun _is, Maxwell?"

Maxie rolls his eyes. Ghetsis turns his lantern to the cranny.

"You'd be surprised what you can hide between cracks," he says to Archie's unspoken question. A chill slithers down the latter's spine.

Ghetsis suddenly gasps. The two mortified friends whirl back—

And of course, it's only their own shadows that greet them.

"That's not fun—"

"So why are you out here anyway?" Ghetsis puts a hand on his hip. "It's late at night… scratch that, it's what folks call the 'witching hour.'"

Maxie frowns. "We… We thought we heard something in The Cabin."

Ghetsis blinks. His red gaze bounces between the silent men. Then he throws his pronged head back in a cackle.

"MYAHAHA! Oh, that's a good one!" The laughter flood down the empty halls. And strangely enough, Archie has no problem with that.

"W-What's so funny?" Maxie yelps.

"Myahaha…" Ghetsis wipes an imaginary tear from his eye. "Oh… Phew… Were you scared?"

"S-Scared? I am the Great Maxie! I am not—"

"So you know about the ghost."

Phantasmal claws grip Archie's heart. The color drains from Maxie's face, pooling down to his feet and squirming away to the darkness beyond. Ghetsis leans in, his presence close enough for the light to cast shadow across his face.

No one says a word. Ghetsis gauges their undivided attention. He beckons them closer, and despite every morsel of reason screaming at them not to follow, the friends lean in.

"I saw myself," Ghetsis whispers, his eye uncannily bright. "I was doing something called my job. When I saw an unnecessary waste of electricity, I turned it off."

Shock quickly dissipates into extreme annoyance, and the Night Conductor snorts so hard that he doubles over in hysterics.

"Ghetsis!" Maxie and Archie snap.

"MYAHAHA! OH, HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR FACES?! THAT WAS—"

He suddenly shuts up, the mirth dying like a collapsing star. Goosebumps explode down Archie's arms. The candelabra lights are flickering, and for a split second, Archie sees eyes along the wall.

Ghetsis exhales deeply. "You know," he says not to the men before him. "You didn't have to wait until I was done."

_Oh fu—_

"Mister Ghetsis, how many times do we have to remind you to keep your voice down?" **_Klink klink, _**rings the keys. "I can hear you perfectly well even from the Control Room."

"B-But no one's waking up any time soon, Cy—"

"Cyrus!" Archie surges forward, all ire and trepidation vanished upon seeing that familiar stature. Cyrus's eyes widen, but he tips his cap with a small smile.

"Mister Archie. Pleasure to see you again. It's not cold anymore, I presume?" Then those dim blue eyes move to the flash of red. "And mister Maxie. My name is Cyrus, and I am the train engineer." A small bow. "Pleased to finally meet you."

"Er. Hi, Cyrus." Maxie's brows are scrunched, as if there's something in his mind. He drops his voice. "Archie, have we seen them before?"

"So it wasn't just me," Archie murmurs back.

Ghetsis clears his throat, effectively bringing the attention to the two night personnel on the moving train.

"The train is on autopilot," Cyrus replies before Maxie opens his mouth. The latter sighs.

Then it hits him. "Ghetsis, Cyrus!" Archie huffs. The two stare at him. "There's a passenger that hasn't come back since lunch. Have you seen—"

Ghetsis shifts his gaze to the placard above The Cabin. "Ah, yes. That bumpkin and his stupid fake accent."

Archie's mouth is dry like a desert. "S-So you know—"

"He came with Lenora," Ghetsis pulls out his clipboard. "Hmhm. Yup. Cabin 019. Can't believe they're taking part in this charade…"

"Ghetsis!"

"What, ARCHIBALD!"

All it takes for them to shut up is a glare from the shortest man in the group. In the flickering lights, those eyes are like daggers of ice. The train engineer messages his temples, his brows furrowed like entangled wires.

"G-Geez…" Ghetsis clears his throat. Twice. "Y-Yes, Archie?" he says softly and politely.

"G-Ghetsis," Archie tries again. "You know where Clay is."

"Like I said, you need not worry a thing, Archibald and Maxwell." Ghetsis's crooked smirk has returned.

"S-So he's safe?" Maxie sputters.

Ghetsis shrugs.

"Is he on the train?" Archie says.

Ghetsis nods.

"Where is he?" Maxie grunts.

"On the train." Ghetsis's teeth are stark white. Like a Purrloin's face before it pounces to the unsuspecting prey. "Now, now, don't look at me like that. That fool's in one piece, I assure you."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I'm the Conductor, Archie. Duh."

Archie and Maxie shift their attention to Cyrus, who simply nods with an unreadable smile on those silent lips.

"Why can't you just tell us?" Maxie grumbles. "Lenora's really worried…"

"Then it wouldn't be much of a mystery, now will it?" Ghetsis taps his monocle, the crimson glow alternating between dark and bright, bloody red.

**_Chugga chugga…_**

"Cyrus?"

"Yes, mister Archie?"

"You knew that it was Ghetsis, didn't you?"

The kid responds with a tilt of the head. In the dimming lights, his neck is bent to a disturbing angle.

"T-Then why didn't you tell me, Cyrus?" Archie's lips are curling. "'Your safety is our utmost priority,' my ass!"

"Archie!" Maxie hisses, but is immediately shot down with a glare.

The lights die momentarily before flickering back to life.

Cyrus runs a gloved hand over his many keys. "Do you require any more blankets, mister Archie?"

_"No."_

"Don't get mad at him, Archibald." Ghetsis waves a graceful hand. "He came all the way here just to check on you two idiots."

Somehow, this conversation sparks something within Archie's memory. He can't draw the association, but there's an odd warmth in his stomach… And the strangest of thoughts flash through his brain. _Good food… laughter… _an inexplicable wave of nostalgia for something that never happened.

Maxie had removed his glasses and is staring back at his reflection, as if expecting answers.

"You're _sure _we've never met before," Archie mutters to the night personnel.

"Yes," they answer with utmost conviction. Ghetsis waves a hand.

"We've been here for a long time, Archie." He holds his lantern to eye level. "They do say that a strong sensory detail can trigger such senses of déjà vu."

"The stimuli is strong enough to trick the mind," Cyrus says softly. "What you want to come true will ultimately shape your construal of reality."

**_DING! DING! _**

"Heh. You sound like professors." Archie rubs his eyes. The lantern is swaying in an oddly hypnotic pattern. Archie feels as if he's a sailor doing everything he can to maneuver choppy waters to that saving light in the distance.

"And you sound tired," Ghetsis says brightly.

**_DING! DING!_**

Maxie's knees buckle. Archie's vision is fading.

"The oncoming hour," Cyrus notes from somewhere within the chiming of a clock. "I'll escort you to your cabin, mister Maxie."

Ghetsis heaps Archie over a shoulder. The latter's neck is too heavy to put up protest.

"Someone's overstayed their curfew," the Conductor hums. Archie recalls being walked across the carpet, his heels sliding against the rug. A door opening. Sharpedo snoring. Rungs of a ladder… Warm quicksand…

"Rest now, sirs Archie and Maxie. You have a busy day tomorrow. I wish you the best of luck."

"Myaha… I feel bad for not making your beds, so I'll keep the lamp on for you two."

Maxie is already passed out. Archie fights against the growing lethargy to turn his head. Two shadowy figures stand in the doorway—two objects glinting in the lantern's light.

"Good night, sirs Archie and Maxie."

"And don't let the man in black bite."

* * *

Maxie's Notes:

-Who sent us the tickets?  
-That man in black from my nightmare. Was it really just a dream...?  
-Noise canceling carpet bothers me. Is there a reason for this...?  
-Cabin 004  
-Clay's curious whereabouts. Hoping he'll turn up tomorrow.  
-The night personnel. Something's still not sitting with me...  
-Why am I so tired at night?  
-That bitter Day Conductor  
-Twins are creepy. What was that all about...?  
-Lou Karr lost something. Don't think it's important, but he seems to know more than he lets show...  
-Ariana  
-N "talks" to Pokemon. An odd thing to claim, but...


	3. Day 3: Morning

_Maxie awakens to sunlight in his eyes. Something is poking his cheek._

_ "Go away, Archie." But that poking is insistent. Agitated, even. "Archie, do you mind—"_

_ Then he sees the opened door. Nothing but darkness beyond the safety of his walls. The train hits a bump—and the lantern clatters to the carpet. Kerosene spills over dark puddles. Within a second's hesitation, sparks race down polyester fibers, consuming all in its path with ravenous tongues. _

_ Maxie sees it: the stains. Wild splatters leading to a glinting object in the doorway._

_ A knife._

_ He can't feel his arms. Can't feel his legs. Can't feel anything but his vibrating chest as that black shadow stares back from beyond the inferno._

_ And somewhere nearby is the smell of burning gardenias._

* * *

"…axie! MAXIE!"

A hand slices his cheek. "MAXIE!" Archie's pointy beard shoves into his face.

"OW! Get off!" Maxie rolls away—and slams into the base of the bed. _Ow… _It takes some effort, but he finally pulls himself up. Aside from the pale-faced Archie gawking at him, everything is relatively normal. The sun is up, for instance. Natural brightness, not from any lantern nor scorching inferno. Maxie feels his forehead: clammy, with a chance of cold sweat.

One deliciously hot shower later, Maxie joins his friend on the couch. The wheels of the train go round and round.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this luxury food." Maxie puts his head in his hands. "The indigestion must be offsetting my circadian rhythm."

Archie tenses. "You had _another_ nightmare?"

"No! Well… Maybe."

"I slept perfectly fine." _True. There are no bags under Archie's eyes today. _ "You also said… you smelled Ariana's perfume?" Archie's neck snaps to the door. There's only two of them in the compartment, however. "Why would _she_ be there?"

"I don't know!" Maxie drops his voice. "But I know what I smelled, Archie! The same scent was there in my first dream!"

"But why would you dream of _Ariana?!"_

"I DON'T KNOW!"

The two friends glare at each other before turning away. "I-I don't want Ariana to think I'm… weird." Maxie runs his hands through his red hair. "B-But… strange happenings have indeed unfolded since we boarded the train." He holds up those tickets. "And these started everything…"

Archie is silent. "Maxie… Do you believe in premonition?"

"I am a man of science, Archie. You know me better than that!"

"You still believe that garlic wards off vampires. Remember last Halloween—"

Heat flushes to Maxie's face. "Okay, okay! What about it?"

Archie beckons Maxie closer until the latter can smell that crisp aftershave. "Shelly—no. Angie. Remember Angie? Angie used to be heavily involved in this fortunetelling cra—stuff. She would often have these dreams… visions, she calls them. Mostly nonsense, but when it's actually relevant…"

"Get to the point, Archie!" Maxie's tone is harsher than he intended.

The train passes an overhang, casting darkness over Archie's figure. "I'm just saying," the man whispers. "Don't pass that off as a mere dream."

_Chug chug chug… _

**_ "EEEEEEEEEEEK!"_**

When the world stops spinning, Maxie opens his eyes to see Archie in his arms. "D-Did you hear that?" the bigger man yelps. "Maxie, I _know _you heard that! Maxie—"

"NO!" It's impossible to swallow with his heart stuck in his throat. "The compartment is empty I say! Empty!"

"But that scream—"

"A _Swellow _can imitate that!" Nevertheless, Maxie springs to the door. _One second… two seconds… _And he releases what appears to be the biggest sigh of relief in his life. "S-See, Archie?" He gestures excitedly to the empty corridors. The only movement is the crystals of the candelabras. "Y-You imagined that."

Archie gives the _Don't-spout-Tauroscrap-to-me-I'm-your-damn-best-friend _look. Maxie makes a little whimper in his mouth. The two friends steal across the posh carpet, and on Archie's signal, peer into the closed-curtain window of Cabin 004.

Maxie's knees buckle. Archie slumps to the floor. He elbows Maxie, who nudges him back. The two exchange nervous giggles.

Then Archie stops laughing. "Maxie?"

"Hahaha_yes?!"_

"I know you heard that."

Maxie stops breathing. That sound is coming from next door: low, repeated mutterings of a word, uttered over and over and over.

_ "No no no no no no…"_

Archie slinks to the door of Cabin 006. The curtains are drawn… but the lock is not. Another glance is exchanged, a grim nod before Archie reaches for the door.

_ "They're going to _kill _me…!" _

"Lou Karr?" Maxie whispers. It's very dark in here. "Are you… okay?"

Then he sees it: the glint of a metal barrel. An object as compact as a seed, yet dangerous as a knife. A memory flashes across his eyes—of smoke, arid smoke burrowing into his nostrils. Of the stench of cordite reeking from open wounds.

And he's yanked back into strong, safe arms.

"Put that gun down, NOW!" Archie barks. Lou Karr shoots up to his feet. _That's not _any _gun, Archie. That's a revolver. Medium frame. Six-round cylinder._

"Wait!" Lou Karr cries. "I-I can explain!"

"Why should we trust you?" Archie growls.

"B-Because!" The disheveled man glances around. "Listen, I'll explain everything! Just come inside and lock the door! Hurry!"

* * *

That revolver is taunting him. Sweet, poisonous enticement. Maxie's fingers twitch, but he forcibly yanks his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Look." There's a mess on the table. Documents, all official-looking. "This is my badge. Lou Karr is my cover name. My _code _name is Looker."

Archie sniffs. "So. You're an International Police Officer?"

Lou Karr—no, _Looker—_slams his palms on reddened kneecaps. "Yes! At times I'll be on a ship! At times I'll be behind a tower, on top of an aerial tramway—"

"Looker." The man shuts up at Maxie's tone. "What is an agent of Interpol doing here?" _Unless…_

Looker glances around. Once he ensures that there are no unwelcomed ears, he beckons the two friends closer. "This was sent"—a piece of thick, glossy paper—"to me. To where I work."

_ To Detective Looker,_

_ Enclosed is a ticket for an all-expense paid trip aboard the luxurious Reinbo Express. Your time will be well-compensated._

"No sender," Looker mutters. "How it bypassed security is beyond me."

Maxie rummages for his own ticket and letter, and Looker's brows shoot to his hairline. _It's the same stationary. The same writing. _

"Detective?"

Looker jolts. "U-Um. Yeah. Just call me Looker. I'm actually undercover right now."

_ Riiight. _Maxie exhales quietly. "Looker… The thing you lost yesterday. You found it, right?"

Looker blinks. "Um. Yes. I found it."

"Where did you find your gun?"

The blood drains from Looker's already gaunt face. Archie shoots Maxie a wild look. "You brought a _gun _on a train?!" the burly man hisses.

"I wasn't going to use it!" Looker retorts. "Why, I'll have you know that I have the privilege of never discharging my weapon _once!_ I left it on my desk—"

_ "You left your gun out in the open?!"_

"Hey, I didn't want to lose it! Nothing bad happened until—" Looker stops cold. One can hear a speck of dust collapse onto the floor. "You…" They have to strain to hear the detective's voice. "You two didn't hear anything _strange _last night, did you?"

"Where was it?" Maxie insists.

"O-Outside my compartment. In the corner…"

"Was it fully loaded?"

Looker's expression says it all. _"Was?"_ Archie echoes.

Maxie nods. "The chamber _was _meant to hold six rounds, correct?" He stares at the man until Looker finally hangs his head. "But when you shook it, there was an empty slot."

Archie's jaw drops. And when the implications sink in, his usually good-natured face explodes into fury. _"Your gun was fired?!"_

"N-Not by me!" Looker barks. "I swore I put the safety trigger on! Even if it fell, it shouldn't have discharged on accident!" Looker unlocks the barrel, fumbling with it until the damn gun finally opens.

"We need to tell the twins!" Archie yells. "Someone on this train might—"

Looker clamps the man's mouth. "No! No one's supposed to know that Interpol's on this train! I'll get into major trouble if my superiors found out!"

As the other men argue, Maxie examines the enigmatic revolver, hand pressing against his chin, lips pursed in heavy concentration. _A train. Tickets with no sender. A lost gun, but when Looker found it, there was a bullet missing._

_ Heh. All that's missing is a cigar and a cup of steaming coffee._

"We need to stop this train!" Archie is saying.

"We're miles away from—Hell, I don't even know where we are!" Looker gestures to the windows. To the rolling desert landscape. "And I don't know about you, but cell reception died thirty minutes ago!"

Maxie dusts off his pants and stands. "We can't stop now. I don't know if it's just an accident, but stopping this train might provide the perfect opportunity of escape." He lifts his glasses. "We can't assume anything as of right now."

"Yes!" Looker slams a fist onto his palm. "If we stop the train now, that will raise suspicion! I'm overthinking this whole dilemma, haha!"

"Archie and I will keep an eye on things," Maxie continues. Archie looks a bit uncomfortable at that suggestion. "Emmet and Ingo might be privy to information of last night."

_ Speaking of last night, what happened? There's that dream, and… the rest is oddly fuzzy._

"Did Clay come back?" Archie grunts.

Looker shakes his head. "No—" Then his eyes shoot to the gun.

"Oh no no no." Archie throws a floral handkerchief over the firearm. "Don't even go there. I'm sure there's a rational explanation for everything…"

Cold fingers tap the nape of Maxie's neck. There's a peculiar breeze… one that carries the smell of cleaned carpet and polished wood.

**_Click. Click._**

"Maxie?" Archie says. "What's wrong?"

**_Click. Click. _**The door is rubbing against the wooden frame. _Huh. I thought… _

Maxie immediately lunges for the unlocked door. There's no one in the corridor. No one in the gangway. The only tell-tale sign of such a disturbance is the indented footprints on the noise-canceling carpet, just outside Cabin 006.

* * *

"Maxie?"

"Yes, Archie?"

Archie glances around. Rubs the back of his neck. "Put your glasses on." _Oh. I almost forgot about them. _Maxie unfolds his glasses. The two (including Looker) travel in silence to the dining train.

"Goood morning, gentlemen."

"Morning, Ingo."

"Verrrrry nice to see you." Emmet's grey eyes sweep over the tired trio. "May I interest you in some vodka?"

"Vodka?" Archie grunts. "In the morning?" Ingo chuckles. He leads the men to an occupied table, where a certain woman has been chugging down what seems to be the sixth shot of bourbon.

"I have high tolerance," Ariana explains to bewildered stares. "Well? Are you really about to let a lady drown her sorrows alone?"

They sit. Looker clears his throat. "H-Hello, ma'am. I'm Lou Karr of Cabin 006."

"You're the neighbor," she says without missing a beat. "Ciao."

"Looker was also called here by the anonymous letter," Maxie whispers. That, and her golden eyes narrow. She calls for a Moscow Mule. Maxie pays attention to her face… especially those curious key-like earrings.

"Emmet," he calls. "Ingo? You have a log of all the passengers, right?"

Ingo taps his clipboard. "Correct, Mister Maxie. However, due to privacy concerns I cannot—"

"No, that's fine." Maxie catches Archie's glance. "Er. Have you by any chance seen a man in black?"

The _chef de train_ frown. "A gentlemen dressed in shadow… That doesn't ring a bell, Emmet."

"No, no, Ingo," says his twin. "Black hat? Normal. All-black, no."

Maxie inhales. "Ariana, were you—"

"I don't like your tone," Ariana hisses. She slams her glass on the table, the ice cubes rupturing into a million jaded pieces.

Archie waves his hands. "Whoa, whoa! Ariana, Maxie didn't mean to be rude—"

"I never said that." She chugs down another shot of sherry, effectively closing the subject.

"I-Ingo, Emmet," Looker says. "You two were making rounds last night?"

"Yes."

"Did you…" The detective drops his voice. "Hear anything? Notice anything?"

The twins look at each other. "Well," says Ingo. "To be frank, I don't remember much of last night. Emmet and I turned in early, I think. We made rounds this morning… but nothing was out of place."

Those news sink in like a foot in quicksand. Looker relaxes somewhat. That is, until the dining doors open and in wafts the scents of cologne and tweed.

"Bonjour!" Sycamore says. "Ah, alcohol so early in the morning?"

Ariana returns a bitter smirk. "My spirits require a raise. Gin?"

Mister E sniffs, that movement rippling through his moustache. "Is it the pillows? The beds are quite comfortable…" Those sharp eyes rake over the exhausted detective. "Did you find what you were looking for, Lou Karr?"

Lou Karr's breath hitches. He mutters something half-intelligible. Archie turns over his shoulder and says, "Where's N?"

"Probably sleeping still." Sycamore takes a seat. "Excuse me. May I get a butter croissant with vermouth please?"

The door on the opposite side slides open. All conversation halts at the sight of a sullen Lenora and a stone-faced Conductor. "We checked," says the man. "A thorough walkthrough this morning. There's… no sign of him anywhere."

Looker scowls. "You checked _everywhere _everywhere?"

"Yes, Mister Lou Karr." There's an edge in the Conductor's tone. "I know my train. Been here since its reopening."

Lenora sinks into the spot beside Ariana. The latter calls for a cup of rum, which she gladly accepts. "I don't understand…" Lenora's sigh is long and heavy. "How can someone like Clay just… vanish?"

The twins are making cocktails in the background. Tinny music seeping from the speakers as iron wheels continue down an unending road.

"I-I'm sure we can look again—"

_"How?"_ Lenora snaps. Archie falters. "We've looked _everywhere! _Even that tiny supply closet! How can he just walk away without his medication? That idiot and his high blood… Damn!" She sags back down the cushion. "Sorry, Archie. I… It's been a long night for me too."

"Indeed," Ariana murmurs.

"Something strange?" says the Conductor to Looker's question. "No, everything is in presentable condition aboard the Reinbo Express. Locks, windows, knives accounted for."

Maxie's reflection glares back from the murky alcohol. A storm of thoughts rage across his brain, but there are no ends, no explainable outcomes to such phenomena. It's like he's grasping at fog—something's definitely there, but at the same time not. And there's Looker, fidgeting erratically with his thumbs.

_The bullet and Clay aren't the only things that are missing._

Lenora sighs. "I'm sorry. I think I'll head back to my room now."

"I'll walk with you."

"Thank you, Ariana, but I'll manage." She gives the other woman a brave smile. "I'll see y'all for dinner."

* * *

After she leaves, the group reconvenes.

"I see." Mister E tips his fedora. _It's black, but… _"So Mister Lou Karr was also invited under the same curious circumstances…"

"Nothing happened last night," Sycamore says. "Well. I _did _sleep early, so I'm probably not the best person to answer that." His dark eyebrows twitch like a depressed trigger. "Why?"

"Nothing," Looker wheezes.

"Nighttime is the most dangerous," muses Mister E. The steam curls from his black coffee in tendrils. "The perfect opportunity also presents itself when the train approaches a tunnel." The adults gawk at the old man.

"M-Mister E?" Maxie whispers. "Do you… Do you have a theory?"

"Hey, I'm the detective here," Looker mutters, but no one hears him.

Mister E fixes his collar. "Perhaps. But I'm just a senile old man. You youngsters have a clearer head than I do… especially you, Mister Lou Karr."

Looker's breathing hitches. "I-I don't—"

**_"AAAAAAAAHHH!"_**

The shot cup clatters to the floor. Maxie moves first, followed by Archie, followed by the old man. They race after the Conductor, past the double doors, past the flickering candelabras.

"Lenora!"

The woman is on the floor. Scrambling away on her hands until she hits Sycamore's legs. "Lenora," the man says. "What happened? What—"

She lifts a trembling finger to the door. To _her _door, Cabin 019.

And Maxie's blood runs cold.

"Isn't that…" Archie's voice is so far away. "Isn't that Clay's hat?"

That headless cowboy heat hangs like a torn note in the wind. Someone moves, allowing light to shine upon the glistening blade… the blade of a very familiar knife from a very familiar dream of flames and blood.


End file.
